Presentation by Magana Kabugi, Ellen Petersen and Christina Poe

About the Book

First published in French in 2000 Autobiographical novel about

Marjane Satrapi’s experience growing up during the Iranian Islamic Revolution

Told in graphic novel (comic book) format

About the Author

Marjane Satrapi is a writer and cartoonist; born in Iran in 1969

Grew up during the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s; family was involved in Communist and socialist activism

About the Author (cont’d) At 14, her parents sent her to Vienna

to flee the Iranian regime Lived on the street; nearly died of pneumonia

Returned to Iran; studied at Tehran Azad University

Popularity of graphic novels

About Iran Republic in SW Asia bordered by Turkey, Iraq,

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Population: 65,875,233 Persians, Azeri, Gilaki & Mazandarani, Kurds and

Arabs Muslims (89% Shi’a, 9% Sunni), Christians,

Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha’i

The Story of Iran One of world’s oldest

civilizations First Iranian nation

founded by Medes in 7th Century BC

Originally called Persia Changed to Iran in 1935

under Reza Shah Country often invaded;

culture survived Zoroastrianism

The Story of Iran (cont’d) Reza Shah wanted to

modernize Iran Oil boom Allies wanted Iran’s help

in fighting Germany Allies invade Iran Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

made new Shah

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

The Story of Iran (cont’d) Prime Minister Mossadeq nationalizes oil

industry in 1951 Britain and CIA stage coup d'état in 1953 Mossadeq deposed; Shah reclaims power Shah implements social and economic

reforms known as the “White Revolution”; backed by U.S. government Land distribution Construction

The Islamic Revolution

Over time, attitude towards the Shah becomes increasingly dissident

Shah overthrown, 1979

Iran becomes an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Ayatollah Khomeini

Religious Shi’a cleric and politician who fueled the Iranian Revolution

Opposed Shah Pahlavi’s “White Revolution” in 1963

Regarded the Shah’s objectives as dangerous Westernizing trends

Exiled in Iraq and France Made Supreme Leader

after overthrowing the Shah

Why a Graphic Novel? A story in which the narrative is told

using sequential art Graphic novels deal with a broad

range of subjects and are in many languages

Various genres Appeals to many different readers Promotes literacy Graphic novels being used more

often in classrooms Students analyze literary conventions as

well as color, shading, panel layout, perspective and even lettering

Why a Graphic Novel? (cont’d) Marjane Satrapi on comics: “…Comics are just another

medium to express yourself. It’s not cinema; it’s not literature; it’s just something else. It has a specific requirement, which is that images are used to tell the story.”

Was there a connection between the fact that Marji’s favorite book about the revolution was a comic and the way she chose to write her autobiography?

Are comics another form of protest?

Themes: Marji’s  Loss of Innocence

• As a young child, Marji is exposed to the hard reality of the violence and suffering of the Iranian Revolution.• pg 48, she tells her friend that when someone is

on a “trip”, it is usually an excuse for that person being dead. How is this an example of Marji losing her innocence and accepting the truth, which in her words, is “hard”? Is she forcing other children to go through their own childhood faster?

• What does her first cigarette represent on page 117?• As immature as Marji’s civil disobedience was on

page 98, what does it represent in a larger sense? 

Themes: Faith

• Why does she stop believing in God?• Why does she want to be a prophet?• What’s the significance of the depiction of God in

this story?• What is the significance of God’s image looking

like Marx?

Themes: Society—Here (in Iran) and Away (in America)•On pages 99-100, how does the school system indoctrinate young boys into joining the cause for the revolution? Why are religion and politics used?•How did the ideology of the religious clerics affect the educational system?•On page 37, Marji’s father explains to her that higher and lower social classes in Iran should not mix. Even Marji’s family is more liberal than the traditional religious hierarchy, why are they still using this framework of thinking?

Themes: Society—Here (in Iran) and Away (in America)

• Why did America and American popular culture have such huge influences on Marji?

• On page 43, why is Marji’s father distrustful of American President Jimmy Carter?

Themes: Identity•Why did her parents take such a big risk to bring Marji the Michael Jackson pin, Nike sneakers and Kim Wilde poster (page 128)? The parents didn’t particularly care for the USA—was there a conflict of interest?

Themes: Identity

• Why does she refuse to wear the veil?• Marji and her friends imagine themselves as Che Guevara, Leon

Trotsky and Fidel Castro. What does this say about the kinds of revolutionaries they see themselves as?

Questions to Think About• What do we make of the

American flag bedspread on page 95?

• Why did Satrapi choose the name Persepolis?

• Why did Satrapi write it in French and not her native language?

• Why is the entire novel in black and white?